Manure-spreader.



S. K. DENNIS. MANURE SPREADER. APPLICATION FILED OCT. 20, 1911.

1,018,743. Patented Feb. 27, 19.12.

4 SHEETS-SHEET l.

u filo? COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH C0, wAsmNu'roN. D. c.

u ull Ill WU a EEEEEEEEEEEEE 2.

S. K. DENNIS.

MANURE SPREADER.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 20, 1911.-

Patented Feb. 27; 1912'.

'4 sums-sum a.

I IwenZvr SQmueZKDenniS.

r aw

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH CO" WASHINGTON, D. C.

S. K. DENNIS.

MANURE SPREADER.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 20, 1911.

1 1,018,743. Patented Feb. 27, 1912.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH cc., wAsHINGToN. D. c

UNITED STATES PATENT QFFBCE.

SAMUEL K. DENNIS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO INTERNATIONAL HAR-VESTER COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

MANURE-SPREADER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 27, 1912.

To all whom it"may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL K. DENNIS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Manure-Spreaders, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to manure Spreaders, and in particular to theconstruction of and means for controlling the movement of the end gate;the object of my invention being to provide a construction having fewparts and wherein the supporting arms of the end gate mechanism formguards for the upper edges of the side walls of the receptacle when thelatter is being filled.

These objects are attained by means of the mechanism illustrated by theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 represents a top plan View of ama nure spreader having my invention embodied in its construction; Fig.2 is a side elevation of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a side elevation, partly insection, of the rear end of the machine, designed to illustrate theoperation of the mechanism for returning the movable apron forming thebottom of the receptacle to its initial position; Fig. 4 is a sideelevation of the rear end of the machine, designed to illustrate themanner of connecting the end gate controlling means with the clutchshipping mechanism; Fig. 5 represents a top 'plan view of part of themachine, designed to illustrate the construction and operation of themechanism for returning the movable bottom of the receptacle to itsinitial position; F ig. 6 is a sectional side elevation of part of Fig.5; Fig. 7 represents a top plan view of a detached detail of the endgate supporting mechanism; and Fig. 8 is a side elevation of Fig. 7

The same reference characters designate like parts throughout theseveral views.

The bed frame of the machine is of steel construction and includes upperand lower side sill members 1 and 2, respectively, upon opposite sidesthereof, that are connected near their front ends by means of shortvertically arranged truss members 3, and at their rear ends with othertruss members 1 that are inclined from the vertical; 5 represents atransversely arranged sill member connecting the front ends of side sillmem' 'bers 2, and 6 represents other transversely arranged sill membersconnecting the side members at intervals toward their rear ends.

7 represents vertically arranged truss members having their lower endssecured to the side sills and their upper portions to the side walls ofthe receptacle.

8 represents a transverse frame member at the front of the machine,having opposite ends thereof connected to inwardly turned portions 9 ofthe upper ends of vertically arranged bars 10, that have their lowerends secured to sill members 1 and 2 upon opposite sides of the machine.

11 represents a forwardly and downwardly curved bar having its rear endsecured to the central portion of frame member 8 and its lower front endconnected with a front truck mechanism 12, a part only of the truckbeing shown, and 13 represents a frame member having a U-shape, with itsrearwardly extending leg portion secured to the vertical bars 10- and tothe sill members 1 and 2 upon opposite sides of the machine, and itshead portion to member 11, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

14 represents rear axle supporting brackets secured to frame members 1and 2 upon opposite sides of the machine, and in which the rear axle 15is journaled.

16 represents a common form of movable apron that forms a bottom for thereceptacle and includes carrier chains 17 that are operatively connectedwith transversely arranged shafts 18 and 19 at the front and rear ends,respectively, of the machine.

20 represents the distributing cylinder rotatably mounted at the rearend of the receptacle and to which motion is transmitted from the axleby means of a sprocket chain 21, a main sprocket wheel 21 clutchmechanism 22 connecting the sprocket wheel with the axle, and pinion 23at one side of the 7 machine. Motion is transmitted from the axle to themovable apron by means of a common form of gear mechanism at theopposite side of the machine, said mechanism including a worm wheel 24-secured to the end of shaft 19 and a worm 25 secured to the rear end ofa shaft 26, that extends forward and downward toward the axle and may beraised or lowered at its rear end in a manner to cause the worm toengage with the worm wheel or be disengaged therefrom, and 27 representsa swinging levermechanism that is operatively connected with the shaftin a manner to perform that function.

28 represents a clutch mechanism mounted upon the axle, including atoothed member 29 secured to the axle, a toothed member 30 slidablymounted upon the axle and adapted to engage with the fixed 31 a clutchshipping lever pivotally mounted upon a fixed part of the frame of themachine, having an arm 32 connected with the sliding clutch member andan arm 33 connected by means of a bar 34 with a foot lever 35, pivotallymounted upon the front end of the machine adjacent the operators seat.Integral with the sliding clutch member is a sprocket wheel 36 that isoperatively connected with a sprocket wheel 37 by means of a chain 38,the sprocket wheel 37 being secured to shaft 18, that actuates themovable apron.

39 represents a transverse rock shaft journaled in bearings 40 securedto frame members 1 and 2, upon opposite sides of the machine.

41 represents a clutch shipping rod connecting the clutch mechanism 22with one member 42 of a double armed lever. secured to the end of therock shaft. Secured to the opposite end of the rock shaft is a bellcrank lever 43, having one arm thereof connected with lever 27 by meansof a rod 44, and the other arm, by means of a rod 44 with a hand lever45,pivotally mounted at the front end of the machine within convenientreach of the operator.

46 represents an arm secured to the rock shaft intermediate its ends; 47a link con necting the arm with the front end of a tripping bar 48 thatis slidably mounted upon the frame of the machine, and having at itsrear end a turned-up portion 49 that is adapted to contact with a clip50-secured to the front end of the movable apron in a manner to draw thebar rearward and turn the rock shaft in its bearings as the apron nearsthe limit of its rearward movement toward the distributing cylinder,and, through the associated mechanism, disengages the clutch mechanism22 and thereby causes the distributing cylinder to cease rotating.

51 represents a follower secured to the front end of the apron andhaving rearwardly projecting brackets 52 secured to opposite endsthereof upon its rear upper edge.

53 represents an end gate provided with a series of teeth 54 along itslower edge that are driven through a bar 55, to which the lower edge ofthe end gate is secured.

56 represents strap hinge members having their vertical body portionssecured to the gate at opposite ends thereof and provided at their upperends with transverse horizontal pintles 57 that are loosely receivedclutch member, and

by eye portions 58 formed upon the rear ends of end gate controllingbars 59, that extend forward from the distributing cylinder tosubstantially the center of the length of the receptacle and have theirfront ends pivconnected with the side walls thereof.

60 represents vertically arranged bars secured to opposite ends of theend gate and projecting above the axis of its hinge connection with bars59.

61 represents links having their front ends secured to bars 59, andinclining upward, rearward and inward, have their rear ends slidablyreceived by openings in the upper ends of bars 60, and 62 representscompression springs encircling the links and operative to yieldinglyresist a swinging move ment of the end gate in a rearward direction,pins 63 through the rear ends of the links operating to limit a swingingmovement of the gate in an opposite direction. As is common in thisclass of machines, the side walls of the receptacle, at their rear ends,are provided with raised portions 64 that curve downward and forward attheir front ends, and the end gate controlling bars 59 havecorresponding curves and being formed of angle sections havinghorizontal and vertical webs, they operate as guards for the upper edgesof the side walls of the receptacle when the end gate is lowered to aposition to retain the material when the receptacle is being filled.

For the purpose of raising and lowering the end gate, the controllingbars 59 are connected intermediate their ends upon one side of themachine by means of a link 65 to the remaining arm of the double armedlever 42, and upon the opposite side by means of a link 66, coaxiallywith rod 44 with the bell crank lever 43.

lVhen the hand lever 45 is moved to the position shown by full lines inFig. 2, the rock shaft 39 is turned to the forward limit of its range ofmovement, the bell crank lever 43 has, through its connection with theswinging lever mechanism 27, lowered the rear end of shaft 26 in amanner causing worm 25 to engage with worm wheel 24, the double armedlever 42 has, through its con nection with clutch mechanism 22, causedsprocket wheel 21 to be operatively connected with the axle and thelinks 65 and 66 with their lever arm connections with the rock shafthave raised the end gate controlling bars and the end gate, and themachine is ready to begin its spreading operation.

l Vhen the end gate is raised to the position shown by full lines inFig. 2, the axes of the pivotal connection between links 65 and 66 andthe lever arms upon the rock shaft have passed in front of a line drawnthrough the axis of the rock shaft and the axis of the pivotalconnection of the upper ends of said links with the end gate supportingbars and otally said bars are thereby, by means of this toggle action ofthe parts, self-locked in an elevated posit-ion, and when the rock shaftis turned rearward by the operator sufficient to bring the axis of thelinks in rear of such line, the end gate is free to descend if the apronhas been returned sufficient to carry the follower away from the path ofthe descending gate; otherwise the bar 55 will contact with the brackets52 secured to the follower. It is desirable that the follower be movedas near as possible to the distributing cylinder before the apronactuates the clutch tripping bar 48, and as the cylinder will continueto rotate for a period after it has been disconnected from the source ofpower, and the end gate being free to fall at this time, it is necessaryto provide means for preventing the descent to a position where it wouldcome in contact with the rotating cylinder, and such is the function ofthe brackets 52.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is:

1. A manure spreader including, in combination, a receptacle having sidewalls, a distributing cylinder rotatably mounted at the rear end of saidreceptacle, an end gate adapted to close the end of said receptacleadjacent said cylinder, means for raising and lowering said end gate,said means including supporting bars having their front ends pivotallyconnected with the side walls of said receptacle upon opposite sidesthereof, said end gate being pivotally connected with the rear ends ofsaid bars, bracket members secured to said end gate and ex tending abovethe axis thereof, and compression springs operative between saidbrackets and said bars in a manner to yieldingly resist a swingingmovement of said gate in one direction, means for swinging said barsabout their pivotal connection in a manner to raise or lower said endgate, said bars fitting closely upon the upper edges of the side wallsof said receptacle in a manner to form guards therefor when said endgate is lowered to a closing position.

2. A manure spreader including, in combination, a receptacle having sidewalls, a distributing cylinder rotatably mounted at the rear end of saidreceptacle, said side walls having raised portions adjacent saidcylinder that curve downward and forward at their front ends toward thebody portion of said side walls, an end gate adapted to close the end ofsaid receptacle adjacent said cylinder, means for raising and loweringsaid end gate, said means including supporting bars having their frontends pivotally connected with the side walls of said receptacle uponopposite sides thereof and in front of said raised portions, said endgate being pivotally connected with the rear ends of said bars, bracketssecured to said end gate and extending above the axis thereof,

links having one end thereof pivotally connected with said bars and theopposite end thereof slidably received by openings in said brackets, andsprings encircling said links and operative to yieldingly reslst aswinging movement of said gate in one direction, means for swinging saidbars about their pivotal connection in a manner to raise or lower saidend gate, said bars being curved in a manner to fit closely upon theupper edges of the body and raised portions of the side walls of saidreceptacle in a manner to form guards therefor when said end gate is ina closed position.

8. A manure spreader including, in combination, a receptacle, adistributing cylinder rotatably mounted at the rear end of saidreceptacle, a movable apron forming the bottom of said receptacle, meansfor ad vancing said apron toward said cylinder, a follower secured tothe front end of said apron, means for automatically suspending theaction of said apron advancing means when said follower has reached apredetermined position adjacent said cylinder, an end gate adapted toclose the end of said receptacle adjacent said cylinder, means forraising and lowering said end gate, said means including support-ingbars having their front ends pivotally connected with the side walls ofsaid receptacle upon opposite sides thereof, said end gate beingpivotally connected with the rear ends of said bars, means operative toswing said bars about their pivotal connection in a manner to raise orlower said end gate, said means including a rock shaft j ournaled at thebottom of said receptacle and connected with the means for suspendingtheaction of the apron advancing means, lever arms secured to oppositeends of said shaft, links pivotally connecting said arms with said endgate supporting bars, a rocking movement of said shaft in a direction toraise said end gate causing said arms and links to move to aself-locking position when said end gate has been raised to an openposition, brackets secured to said follower, said end gate engaging withsaid brackets when said rock shaft is turned in an opposite direction.

, SAMUEL K. DENNIS.

Witnesses:

M. VAN DER VLIET, EVAN EVANS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

